People and nature are engaged in a complex relationship involving conservation and sustainability. It is all about repair and transformation. The generic issue involving both is the preservation of what is considered “wild”, that is, ideas of natural and balanced. Protecting people and land in a sustainable and ecocentric balance is always the goal. With indigenous populations, their land is their family. Land rights through history, ritual, and family need to be respected as one example of the nature of this dynamic relationship. Another example of preserving the dynamic balance between people and nature is to put large areas under protection. In urban areas, there needs to be environmental activism in relation to the health impacts of poor air quality and creating natural settings for the well-being of residents. 

Our understanding of conservation and sustainability is not complete. Adding more dimensionality, and broadening our understanding of what is needed for durable conservation impacts is an ongoing process. This process is vital for creating a healthy dynamic connection between people and nature. There is no way nature can be protected without considering how people are interacting with it and how their livelihoods are affected by it. Nature always needs to be protected from economic and industrial realities. People are least likely to do nature harm. Let us all go forward into 2023 and be part of a healthy dynamic connection with nature in any and all ways we have been sharing over the years!